One of the most significant problems in the processing of composite materials is residual stresses. The residual stresses may be high enough to cause cracking in the matrix even before external loads are applied and can degrade the integrity of composite structures. In this study, thermo-viscoelastic residual stresses occurred in the polymeric composite cylinder are investigated. This type of structure is used for the launch vehicle fuselage. The time and degree of cure dependent thermo-viscoelastic constitutive equations are developed and coupled with a thermo-chemical process model. These equations are solved with the finite element method to predict the residual stresses in the composite structures during cure. A launch vehicle experiences high thermal loads during flight and re-entry due to aerodynamic heating or propulsion heat, and the thermal loads may cause thermal buckling on the structure. In this study the thermal buckling analysis of composite cylinders are performed. Two boundary conditions such as all clamped and all simply supported are used for the analysis. The effects of laminates stacking sequences, shapes and residual stresses on the critical buckling temperatures of composite cylinders are investigated. The thermal buckling analysis is performed using ABAQUS.