Thermal environment for aerospace equipment is becoming more and more severe， which comes up with a strict requirement for thermal protection system. Three-dimensional （3D） braided carbon/phenolic composite is a kind of ablation material with excellent designability due to the special structure of 3D braided preform， which helps to realize the integration of heat-proof requirement and mechanical requirement. With the development of braiding and molding technology， 3D braided carbon/phenolic composite has gradually become an ideal candidate material for thermal protection system in aerospace field. This article summarizes the research progress of 3D braided carbon/phenolic composites from four aspects： 3D braided carbon fiber preform， phenolic resin matrix， molding process， and composite material ablation performance.