[throwawaymaths]

Isn't it the case that f9h's lift capacity has increased over the years due to engine improvements and stage lengthening..? Iirc fairing size is still a major limiting factor.

[peoplearepeople]

They have a bigger fairing in dev for the military, and the gateway launch

[throwawaymaths]

Exactly. But not at the time of the "f9h is not heavy lift" quote

[mannerheim]

The quote didn't say Falcon Heavy wasn't heavy lift, which was my point. It said Falcon Heavy was just something on the drawing board, versus SLS which was real. Except then Falcon Heavy ended up flying years before SLS eventually did.

[throwawaymaths]

Fine, but my point is falcon heavy wasn't really a properly competitive heavy lift at the time, and arguably still isn't. Though it will be soon.