Abstract: Latent heat (LH) released from precipitation is the primary energy source for driving global atmospheric circulation. It is one of the most important pathways of transforming solar energy to atmospheric thermal energy and kinetic energy. Quantitative estimation of the latent heating rate in precipitating clouds at multiple altitudes is a long demanding but unreached goal for the scientific community. In this review paper, we introduced the important role of LH played in water cycle and energy balance in the Earth's climate system. The current understanding and agreements on the vertical structure of LH released from tropical precipitation are explained. We introduced the major operational and planed satellite platforms and associated sensors aiming for measuring the three dimensional structure of precipitation and LH. Particularly, we introduced the two types of satellite retrievals of LH: the Look-Up Table method and physical retrieval method. Relatively detailed discussions revolve around the NASA CSH algorithm, JAXA SLH algorithm and USTC VPH algorithm, including their advantages, applicabilities and uncertainties.