Paul Wheelahan's The Panther #9

Base commander Colonel Nader and scientist Dr. Vell look on as a rocket is launched into space. However, as soon as it reaches a certain altitude it appears to explode, and plummets to earth. Not the first time this has happened, and its cause is a mystery. The next day jungle native Maku reports to the Panther that a flying machine has crashed nearby. Surveying the wreckage he realizes it's a rocket, not a plane, that has fallen. After meeting with the Colonel and Dr. Vell, the Panther volunteers to fly a jet to follow the next rocket into the sky so as to observe up close its trajectory.