Abstract: With the development of the manned mission and the extended duration orbiter, the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) in space emerges as an important technology for the security and reliability of the orbiters. Due to the differences between the environment in space and that on Earth, there are some special needs and requirements of the NDE in space. Since the 1980's, the USA and the Soviet Union have initiated the requirements of NDE in space and developed related devices. This paper reviews the development and applications of NDE in space, and comments on its prospect in the future.