Gravitational waves are a kind of matter wave, which is caused by the violent motion and changes of matter and energy. Detecting gravitational waves allows people to observe the universe from a new perspective. In the process of gravitational wave detection, high-energy particles and cosmic rays in space can penetrate the exterior of the spacecraft and reach the surface of the inertial sensor’s test mass (TM), continuously accumulating charges. Once the charge on the TM exceeds a certain threshold, the electrostatic forces between the TM and surrounding conductors generate significant acceleration noise, which will affect the measurement accuracy of the inertial sensors and, consequently, the success of the gravitational wave detection mission. Therefore, controlling the charge on the TM surface, known as charge management, is essential. The most commonly used charge management method is based on the photoelectric effect, using ultraviolet (UV) light to control the potential between the surface of the TM and the surrounding conductors. In previous charge management systems (CMSs), UV mercury lamps and UV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were used as light sources, achieving varying levels of success. This paper mainly reviews the research progress of UV light sources in CMS for space gravitational wave detection. Mercury lamps, as the first-generation system light sources, can fulfill the mission but have some drawbacks such as slow startup, high power consumption and significant electromagnetic interference. UV LEDs, because of their advantages in size and weight, have gradually become the current light source for CMS. In recent years, with the development of UV micro-LED technology, UV micro-LEDs have achieved higher external quantum efficiency and lower power consumption, demonstrating their potential applications in CMS, and becoming a promising UV light source for future charge management systems.