The world's first space sports car is cruising toward the asteroid belt, well beyond Mars.

SpaceX chief Elon Musk has confirmed the new, more distant route for his rocketing Tesla Roadster, which was launched aboard the company's Falcon Heavy from Florida.

Elon Musk sends a Tesla into space https://t.co/G8C2hHceWx pic.twitter.com/7NwKqffspD

— Bloomberg (@business) February 7, 2018

The Heavy became the most powerful rocket flying today with Tuesday's inaugural test flight.

Musk says the final firing of the upper stage put his red convertible into a solar orbit that stretches all the way to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The original plan had the car travelling no farther than Mars.

In the driver seat of the Tesla is a space-suited mannequin nicknamed "Starman." Musk doesn't plan to fly people on the Heavy, but is working on an even bigger rocket for deep-space crews.

Elon Musk just sent his #Tesla Roadster into space. Read that sentence again, out loud, slowly >> https://t.co/70qpARq5EF pic.twitter.com/OePTQqaeXU

— Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) February 7, 2018

AAP