Analysis of Gamma-Ray Burst detection in current and future space missions

Gamma-rays are the most energetic photons in the electromagnetic spectrum, carrying fundamental information about our universe and its creation. Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are astronomical objects showing a sudden increase in the gamma-ray brightness. They are the most energetic and luminous electromagnetic events since the Big Bang and can last from fractions of a second to some hours. Gamma-rays are directly observed from space by already existing missions, like INTEGRAL, Swift, AGILE, Fermi, and future missions like COSI (scheduled to launch in 2027). This thesis provides a thorough analysis of the above-mentioned space missions, providing for each one a general overview and a description of the objectives of the mission, the instruments and trigger algorithm used for the detection of transient sources, and the data flow for the acquired scientific data. A particular focus of this thesis is on the trigger algorithm for the detection of GRBs and on the method used to quickly notify the scientific community of such detection. The thesis concludes with the discussion about future missions for gamma-ray observations: what are the current technologies for GRB detection and alert communication, how these can be implemented and developed for future missions and, finally, what improvements can be made to achieve simultaneous multi-wavelength and multi-messenger observations of the energetic universe.