This paper reviews and summarizes the development history and technical characteristics of the infrared detectors for the Fengyun meteorological satellites, and looks forward to the development trend of infrared detectors. Since the successful launch of the Fengyun-1 satellite, China′s Fengyun satellite series has become an important part of the global meteorological observation system. As one of the core components of meteorological satellite payloads, the performance improvement of infrared detectors directly affects the accuracy and timeliness of meteorological forecasts. This paper first introduces the basic principles and key technologies of infrared detectors, then sorts out the evolution process of Fengyun meteorological satellites′ infrared detectors from the early stage to the latest version, including technological innovation, performance improvements, and scale expansion. At the same time, this paper also analyzes the current technical challenges and future development directions of infrared detectors, and discusses relevant technical pathways.