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Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]      
Current tax (benefit) provision $ 2,171,000us-gaap_CurrentIncomeTaxExpenseBenefit $ (26,343,000)us-gaap_CurrentIncomeTaxExpenseBenefit $ (115,318,000)us-gaap_CurrentIncomeTaxExpenseBenefit
Benefit to income tax provision 10,600,000us-gaap_IncreaseDecreaseInIncomeTaxes    
Extraterritorial income exclusion 3,468,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationDeductionsExtraterritorialIncomeExclusion 6,177,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationDeductionsExtraterritorialIncomeExclusion 11,200,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationDeductionsExtraterritorialIncomeExclusion
Potential change in unrecognized tax benefits during next twelve months (8,500,000)us-gaap_SignificantChangeInUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIsReasonablyPossibleAmountOfUnrecordedBenefit    
Total deferred income tax provision (10,276,000)us-gaap_DeferredIncomeTaxExpenseBenefit 28,184,000us-gaap_DeferredIncomeTaxExpenseBenefit 22,003,000us-gaap_DeferredIncomeTaxExpenseBenefit
Deferred tax (provision) benefit for adjustments in other comprehensive loss (4,919,000)us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossTax 10,127,000us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossTax 22,612,000us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossTax
Liability for UTPs 77,133,000us-gaap_LiabilityForUncertainTaxPositionsNoncurrent 79,688,000us-gaap_LiabilityForUncertainTaxPositionsNoncurrent  
Unrecognized tax benefits, interest on income taxes accrued 5,800,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesAccrued    
Unrecognized tax benefits, income tax penalties accrued 7,800,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAccrued    
Unrecognized tax benefits that would reduce the income tax provision 35,700,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate    
Excess tax benefit associated with stock based compensation 1,864,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxEffectsAllocatedDirectlyToEquityEmployeeStockOptions (3,128,000)us-gaap_IncomeTaxEffectsAllocatedDirectlyToEquityEmployeeStockOptions 16,919,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxEffectsAllocatedDirectlyToEquityEmployeeStockOptions
Valuation allowance 7,905,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance 7,228,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance  
Changes in valuation allowance 700,000us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceDeferredTaxAssetChangeInAmount 100,000us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceDeferredTaxAssetChangeInAmount (3,800,000)us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceDeferredTaxAssetChangeInAmount
Valuation Allowances and Reserves, Charged to Cost and Expense 624,000us-gaap_ValuationAllowancesAndReservesChargedToCostAndExpense    
Valuation Allowances and Reserves, Charged to Other Accounts 53,000us-gaap_ValuationAllowancesAndReservesChargedToOtherAccounts    
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [Member]      
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]      
Statute of limitations to expire during next twelve months 2010    
Operating loss carryforwards 264,800,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_InternalRevenueServiceIRSMember		    
Operating loss carryforwards, limitations on use 32,600,000lorl_OperatingLossCarryforwardsLimitationsOnUse1
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_InternalRevenueServiceIRSMember		    
California [Member]      
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]      
Operating loss carryforwards 77,800,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= stpr_CA		    
Research Credit [Member]      
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]      
Federal AMT credits 1,200,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAmount
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= us-gaap_ResearchMember		    
Other Tax Carryforward, AMT Tax Credits [Member]      
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]      
Federal AMT credits 6,600,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAmount
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= lorl_OtherTaxCarryforwardAmtTaxCreditsMember		    
Other Tax Carryforward, AMT Tax Credits [Member] | State and Local Jurisdiction [Member]      
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]      
Federal AMT credits 9,400,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAmount
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= lorl_OtherTaxCarryforwardAmtTaxCreditsMember		    
Continuing Operations [Member]      
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]      
(Provision) benefit for reversal of UTP liability from statute expiration     86,700,000lorl_ProvisionBenefitForReversalOfUtpLiabilityFromStatuteExpiration
/ us-gaap_StatementOperatingActivitiesSegmentAxis
= us-gaap_SegmentContinuingOperationsMember
Changes in valuation allowance     (2,300,000)us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceDeferredTaxAssetChangeInAmount
/ us-gaap_StatementOperatingActivitiesSegmentAxis
= us-gaap_SegmentContinuingOperationsMember
Continuing Operations [Member] | Current Tax [Member]      
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]      
(Provision) benefit for reversal of UTP liability from statute expiration     112,900,000lorl_ProvisionBenefitForReversalOfUtpLiabilityFromStatuteExpiration
/ us-gaap_StatementOperatingActivitiesSegmentAxis
= us-gaap_SegmentContinuingOperationsMember
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= lorl_CurrentTaxMember
Continuing Operations [Member] | Deferred Tax [Member]      
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]      
(Provision) benefit for reversal of UTP liability from statute expiration     (26,200,000)lorl_ProvisionBenefitForReversalOfUtpLiabilityFromStatuteExpiration
/ us-gaap_StatementOperatingActivitiesSegmentAxis
= us-gaap_SegmentContinuingOperationsMember
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= lorl_DeferredTaxMember
Discontinued Operations [Member]      
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]      
Changes in valuation allowance     $ (1,500,000)us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceDeferredTaxAssetChangeInAmount
/ us-gaap_StatementOperatingActivitiesSegmentAxis
= us-gaap_SegmentDiscontinuedOperationsMember