Archibald
Banned
Well, certainly, with no ABM or space demilitarization treaties, both we and the Russians WILL have some ABM systems in space, as well as anti-satellite and satellite defense system.
I did some extensive research on space ABM for my space TL, Explorers. And I've found some amazing things. Go figure: while Reagan bragged about Star wars in 1983, the Soviet space ABM program has actually started as early as 1976 !
The Soviet flew an Il-76 with a laser in the nose in 1981. Soon thereafter they decided to fly that same laser into orbit - hence Skif (better known as Polyus), the laser battlestation that failed to reach orbit in 1987. Three Skif were planned: Skif-DM was Polyus, essentially a mockup without much system operationnals. Skid D1 was to fly the Il-76 laser, while Skif D2 would have a full blown laser able to shoot down things in space.
Meanwhile they also developped a system, Kskad, that had kinetic killers - first on a Salyut, later on modified Progress cargo ships. Some of these military Progress were build (!) but at the end of cold War kaskad was cancelled and the Progress flew as civilian cargoes.
Amazingly, when Gorbatchev come into power in 1985 he knew absolutely nothing of either Kaskad, Skif or Polyus. The military hide the thing to him. Which is hardly surprising: Minister of rocketry was Oleg Baklanov. Well, a certain day of August 1991, the same Baklanov was one of the plotter in the failed coup...