Abstract: China is now working intensively on the construction of a space station. The experience of the construction of space station at abroad shows that the space in-orbit manufacturing technology is one of the important means to ensure the long-term effective operation of space station.Welding,as an important part of in-orbit manufacturing technology in space,has gone into space with the pace of human exploration of space.Through a lot of literature analysis and overview,the development course of space welding technology at abroad and the research status of space welding technology in China were summarized,the gap between China and developed countries were analyzed,and some suggestions were proposed for the future development direction of space welding technology in China. It provides an important reference for further research on space in-orbit welding technology in China.