Earnings Per Share - Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income (loss) attributable to EchoStar Corporation common stock	$ (5,692)	$ 77,222	$ 8,510	$ 55,671
Class A and B common stock:
Basic (in shares)	96,415	96,091	95,903	95,990
Dilutive impact of stock awards outstanding (in shares)	0	855	291	1,048
Diluted (in shares)	96,415	96,946	96,194	97,038
Class A and B common stock:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ (0.06)	$ 0.80	$ 0.09	$ 0.58
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ (0.06)	$ 0.80	$ 0.09	$ 0.57