3D printing technology has the characteristics of customization， mold free， and flexibility， which can provide an effective approach for the shaping of special structure solid propellant grains in multi-thrust or multi -pulse solid rocket motors. At present， research on 3D printing of solid propellant grain has been conducted both domestically and internationally. This article focuses on the application of typical 3D printing processes such as binder jetting， photopolymerization curing， and material extrusion in the formation of heterogeneous solid propellant grains with contained complex structures， gradients， and multi material integration. It summarizes the key issues that exist in the 3D printing of these three types of solid propellant grains. The future research directions were prospected， and it was emphasized that the future manufacturing of heterogeneous solid propellant grains should focus on low sensitivity specialized solid propellant slurries， printing equipment for large grain forming， and insulation coating printing technology.