The Company and a Summary of Its Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information 1 (Detail) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Feb. 28, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016	Apr. 03, 2015
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Capitalized costs, net, related to software developed for resale		$ 203,686,000	$ 163,061,000
Capitalized cost related to software development for resale		73,100,000	75,400,000
Amortization expense of capitalized software development costs		32,500,000	32,200,000	$ 23,500,000
Self-insurance liability		4,200,000	3,800,000
Accrual of uncharacterized damages and penalties		11,800,000
Net income (loss)		21,767,000	$ 21,770,000	39,891,000
Loss contingency impact to net income attributable to ViaSat, Inc. stockholders	$ 4,000,000	4,000,000
Loss contingency impact to net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interests, net of tax	$ 3,700,000	$ 3,700,000
Impact of loss contingency on earnings per share basic		$ 0.08
Impact of loss contingency on earnings per share diluted		$ 0.07
Repurchased shares of common stock held in treasury		(57,600,609)	(48,926,417)
Repurchase and immediate retirement of treasury shares pursuant to vesting of certain RSU agreements		$ 21,670,000	$ 16,397,000	$ 14,788,000
Deferred rent included in other long-term liabilities		10,743,000	$ 8,808,000
Unrestricted Subsidiaries [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Net income (loss)		$ 4,200,000
Trellis Ware [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Minority interest ownership percentage by parent		52.00%	52.00%
Maximum [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful life, years		10 years
Maximum [Member] | Software Development Costs [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful life, years		5 years
Common Stock Held in Treasury [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Repurchased shares of common stock held in treasury		0	0
Purchase of treasury shares pursuant to vesting of certain RSU agreements, shares		294,031	263,137	236,446
Repurchase and immediate retirement of treasury shares pursuant to vesting of certain RSU agreements		$ 21,700,000	$ 16,400,000	$ 14,800,000
Retirement of common stock held in treasury, shares				1,427,018
Total value of treasury stock retired				$ 64,100,000
Common Stock [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Common stock issued based on the vesting terms of certain restricted stock unit agreements		792,616	703,043	647,006
Paid-in Capital [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Repurchase and immediate retirement of treasury shares pursuant to vesting of certain RSU agreements		$ 21,670,000	$ 16,397,000	$ 14,788,000
Total value of treasury stock retired				64,100,000
Indemnification Agreement [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Accrued indemnification losses		0	0
Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments [Member] | Cash Flow Hedging [Member] | Foreign Currency Forward Contracts [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Notional value of foreign currency forward contracts outstanding		2,600,000	5,000,000
Gains or losses from ineffectiveness of derivative instruments		$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Foreign currency forward contracts maturity, minimum		24 months
Foreign currency forward contracts maturity, maximum		36 months
Accounting Standards Update 2014-15 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. ASU 2014-15 provides guidance regarding management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an organization’s ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures. The new standard requires management to perform interim and annual evaluations and sets forth principles for considering the mitigating effect of management’s plans. The standard mandates certain disclosures when conditions give rise to substantial doubt about a company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year from the financial statement issuance date. This guidance is effective for the Company in fiscal year 2017, with early application permitted. The Company early adopted the guidance, which did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2015-02 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02, Consolidation (ASC 810) Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis. ASU 2015-02 amended the process that a reporting entity must perform to determine whether it should consolidate certain types of legal entities. This guidance became effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017 and did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2015-03 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03, which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts.
Accounting Standards Update 2015-15 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-15 which provides additional guidance to ASU 2015-03, which did not address presentation or subsequent measurement of debt issuance costs related to line-of-credit arrangements. ASU 2015-15 noted that staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) would not object to an entity deferring and presenting debt issuance costs as an asset and subsequently amortizing the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. This new guidance became effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017 and was applied on a retrospective basis, wherein the consolidated balance sheets of each individual periods presented was adjusted to reflect the period-specific effects of applying the new guidance. As a result, the Company reclassed unamortized debt issuance costs related to the Company’s 2020 Notes and the Ex-Im Credit Facility from prepaid expenses and other current assets and from other assets (long-term) to senior notes, net, and other long-term debt, net, respectively, within its consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2016. In accordance with ASU 2015-15, the Company has elected to continue to present debt issuance costs related to the Revolving Credit Facility as an asset and subsequently amortize the deferred debt issuance costs over the term of the Revolving Credit Facility arrangement.
Accounting Standards Update 2015 -11 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory. ASU 2015-11 simplifies the guidance on the subsequent measurement of inventory, excluding inventory measured using last-in, first out or the retail inventory method. Under the new standard, in-scope inventory should be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value. The new standard should be applied prospectively and will become effective for the Company in fiscal year 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company elected to adopt this guidance on a prospective basis and the adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2015-16 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-16, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments. ASU 2015-16 requires that an acquirer recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. Under current GAAP, the acquirer is required to retrospectively apply adjustments made to provisional amounts recognized in a business combination. This guidance became effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017. The Company adopted this guidance on a prospective basis and the guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2015-17 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-17, Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Income Taxes,which requires entities to classify deferred tax liabilities and assets as non-current in a classified balance sheet. The new guidance can be applied either prospectively to all deferred tax liabilities and assets or retrospectively to all periods presented. ASU 2015-17 will become effective for the Company in fiscal year 2018, with early adoption permitted. During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2016, the Company early adopted this standard retrospectively and reclassified all of its current deferred tax assets to non-current deferred tax assets on its consolidated balance sheets for all periods presented.
Accounting Standards Update 2016-01 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (Subtopic 825-10). ASU 2016-01 requires that most equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method for accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) be measured at fair value, with subsequent changes in fair value recognized in net income. The new guidance also impacts financial liabilities under the fair value option and the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial instruments. The new guidance should be applied by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. ASU 2016-01 will become effective for the Company in fiscal year 2019, with early adoption permitted with certain stipulations. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2016-02 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets as lease liabilities with corresponding right-of-use assets and eliminates certain real estate-specific provisions. The new guidance will become effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020, with early adoption permitted. ASU 2016-02 will be adopted on a modified retrospective transition basis for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2016-05 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-05, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815). ASU 2016-05 clarifies that a change in the counterparty to a derivative instrument, in and of itself, does not require dedesignation of a hedging relationship. The new guidance will become effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2016-06 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-06, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815). ASU 2016-06 clarifies the requirements for assessing whether contingent put or call option in a debt instrument qualifies as a separate derivative. The new guidance is required to be applied on a modified retrospective basis to all existing and future debt instruments of the fiscal year for which the amendments are effective. ASU 2016-06 will become effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2016-13 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments — Credit Losses (Topic 326). ASU 2016-13 requires credit losses on most financial assets measured at amortized cost and certain other instruments to be measured using an expected credit loss model (referred to as the current expected credit loss (CECL) model). It also modifies the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities and provides for a simplified accounting model for purchased financial assets with credit deterioration since their origination. The new guidance will become effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2021, with early adoption permitted. The new guidance is required to be applied on a modified-retrospective basis. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2016-15 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230). ASU 2016-15 makes eight targeted changes to how companies present and classify certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows. The new standard will become effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2019, with early adoption permitted. The new standard will require adoption on a retrospective basis unless it is impracticable to apply, in which case the Company would be required to apply the amendments prospectively as of the earliest date practicable. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2016-16 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740). ASU 2016-16 requires that an entity should recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs as opposed to when the asset has been sold to an outside party. The new standard will become effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2019, with early adoption permitted. The new standard will require a modified retrospective basis through cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2016-17 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-17, Consolidation: Interests Held through Related Parties That Are Under Common Control (Topic 810). The amendments change how a reporting entity that is the single decision maker of a variable interest entity should treat indirect interests in the entity held through related parties that are under common control with the reporting entity when determining whether it is the primary beneficiary of that variable interest entity. The new standard will become effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2016-18 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows: Restricted Cash (Topic 230). The amendments address diversity in practice that exists in the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash and require that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. The new standard will become effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2019, with early adoption permitted. During the third quarter of fiscal year 2017, the Company early adopted this standard on a retrospective basis. The guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2017-01 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations: Clarifying the Definition of a Business (Topic 805). ASU 2017-01 clarifies the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The definition of a business affects many areas of accounting including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill, and consolidation. The new standard will become effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2019, with early adoption permitted with limitations. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2016-09 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09,Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718). ASU 2016-09 simplifies various aspects related to how share-based payments are accounted for and presented in the financial statements. The new guidance will become effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2018, with early adoption permitted.
Accounting Standards Update 2017-04 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles — Goodwill and Other: Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (Topic 350). ASU 2017-04 removes Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. The standard will become effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2021, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to a customer. This guidance will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance and will be effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2019, including interim periods within that reporting period, based on the FASB decision in July 2015 (ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers — Deferral of the Effective Date) to delay the effective date of the new revenue recognition standard by one year, but providing entities a choice to adopt the standard as of the original effective date. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net), which clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, which clarifies the implementation guidance on identifying performance obligations and the licensing implementation guidance. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients, which provides practical expedient for contract modifications and clarification on assessing the collectability criterion, presentation of sales taxes, measurement date for non-cash consideration and completed contracts at transition. In December 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-20, Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which provides for correction or improvement to the guidance previously issued in ASU 2014-09. These standards permit the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company currently plans to adopt the standard in fiscal year 2019 using the “modified retrospective method.” Under that method, the Company will apply the rules to all contracts existing as of April 1, 2018, recognizing in beginning retained earnings an adjustment for the cumulative effect of the change and providing additional disclosures comparing results to previous accounting standards.Upon initial evaluation, the Company believes the key changes in the standard that impact its revenue recognition relate to the deferral of commissions in the Company’s satellite service segment, which are currently expensed as incurred under the current standard. The requirement to defer incremental contract acquisition costs and recognize them with the transfer of the related good or service will result in the recognition of a deferred charge on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet and corresponding impact to the Company’s consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.
Accounting Standards Update 2015-05 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-05, Intangibles — Goodwill and Other — Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement. ASU 2015-05 provides guidance to customers about whether a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license. If a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license, the customer should account for the software license element of the arrangement consistent with the acquisition of other software licenses. If a cloud computing arrangement does not include a software license, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The new guidance does not change the accounting for a customer’s accounting for service contracts. This guidance became effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017. The Company elected to adopt this guidance on a prospective basis and the adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2016-07 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-07, Investment — Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323). ASU 2016-07 eliminates the requirement to apply the equity method of accounting retrospectively when a reporting entity obtains significant influence over a previously held investment. ASU 2016-07 will become effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2017-05 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In February 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-05, Other Income — Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets (Subtopic 610-20): Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets. ASU 2017-05 clarifies the scope and accounting of a financial asset that meets the definition of an “in-substance nonfinancial asset” and defines the term “in-substance nonfinancial asset.” ASU 2017-05 also adds guidance for partial sales of nonfinancial assets. The standard will become effective for the Company in fiscal year 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2017-08 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-08, Receivables — Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20): Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities. ASU 2017-08 amends the amortization period for certain callable debt securities held at a premium. The amendments require the premium to be amortized to the earliest call date. The standard will become effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update 2017-09 [Member]
Company And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Description of new accounting pronouncements		In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation — Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting. ASU 2017-09 provides guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting. The standard will become effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.