Alena is an expert in Mission Architecture, Mission and Spacecraft Design, with a focus on interplanetary science missions. 

Alena gained her experience as a Systems Engineer in the DLR research project KaNaRiA, that explored the possibility to mine resources for profit in the Asteroid Mine Belt. She designed the operational concept, mission architecture and the design of the most important mission element, including a cost estimation for an asteroid mining mission targeting objects in the main belt. 

Before joining Continuum, she worked as a Science Systems Engineer as part of the NASA Postdoctoral Program at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, walking the line between Science and Engineering. AS part of this role, she developed a tool that allows the rapid assessment of interplanetary trajectory for atmospheric probe missions to the Outer Planets, with respect to their science and engineering feasibility.  

Alena earned her PhD in Space Technology and Systems Engineering at the Bundeswehr University Munich in Neubiberg, Germany.