Net Income (Loss) Attributable to ORBCOMM Inc. Common Stockholders - Summary of Basic and Diluted Calculations of EPS (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net loss attributable to ORBCOMM Inc. common stockholders	$ (2,096)	$ (2,882)
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:
Basic number of common shares outstanding	70,700	70,238
Diluted number of common shares outstanding	70,700	70,238
Earnings per share:
Basic	$ (0.03)	$ (0.04)
Diluted	$ (0.03)	$ (0.04)