Regional Tracking Centers Announced

North Pole Flight Command today announces that the following Regional Tracking Center locations have been confirmed and that contracts for these locations have been signed:

Sector 1: Kiribati (Christmas Island, Pacific)
Sector 2: Taipei, Taiwan
Sector 3: Sint-Niklaas, Belguim
Sector 4: Belen, Costa Rica
Sector 5: Barra de Navidad, Mexico

Elf Supervisors were informed of these locations more than a week ago and work crews are already on-site in most cases refurbishing facilities and installing equipment.

The target operational date for each regional tracking center is August 1st.

For Sector 1, this is the third time the Regional Tracking Center has been located in Kiribati. It will be stationed within the same facility used before. It is anticipated this location will open the soonest due to the familiarity of North Pole project teams with the location. Several alternative locations were considered but given the current geopolitical realities in the region and the past performance of this location Kiribati was selected due to it’s far eastern positioning, isolated nature and past performance as a regional tracking center.

For Sector 2, Taiwan has long petitioned the North Pole for this opportunity. It is a strong center of logistical strength and possesses access to the best technology as well as Internet access. There is some risk involved, acknowledged by Santa himself and the North Pole State Department, given the tenuous relationship with China. But having received assurances from all regional government authorities Santa approved moving forward with Taipei this year.

For Sector 3, Sint-Niklaas has long been a candidate for a regional tracking center. Santa is very familiar with the country and Belgium has long been an ally. There are strong strategic advantages to the location that will be helpful in not only serving Sector 3 but will aid significantly to northern areas of Sector 2 as well and for northern parts of the Atlantic.

Sector 4 goes pole-to-pole in their regional diversity and Costa Rica splits this wide area perfectly. The weather is exceptional and the location is central to large areas that need constant attention. We hope we have found a place in Sector 4 we can return again and again.

Sector 5 at long last is placing a Regional Tracking Center in Mexico, after decades of applications from that country. While still harboring concerns about security, Santa is satisfied with assurances from the Mexican government that the location will remain safe for elves and steady in supply of power, water and Internet access. Like Sector 4, it is hoped that this location maybe prove to be one the North Pole can return to.

Santa has thanked the Regional Tracking Center Location Committee for their months of hard work in vetting locations, for the work of Elf Rusty Belz and the North Pole State Department, and for all government entities worldwide for their assistance in this project.

We look forward to a strong season of tracking Santa ahead with the help of these regional locations and their host countries.

Author
Recent Posts

Elf Roger Star

Director at North Pole Flight Command

Roger is an experienced sleigh pilot, designer and flight engineer who has worked the past 42 years as a flight supervisor in the Tracking Department at the North Pole. Previous to that Roger served as a designer in the Research and Development Department during the crucial years of 1947-1974, an era known for breakout designs in Santa’s sleigh that broke long standing speed records. Roger was the lead designer of Santa’s 1968 sleigh, famous for surviving a brutal blizzard in Bavaria.

Latest posts by Elf Roger Star (see all)