the biggest problem with this debate is one key fact. by 1998 per V1 or V2 cannon nothing would be able to survive in any of the low or mid earth orbits. between debris from ASAT hits, nuclear intercepts, lost satellites from EMP. the world would be looking at
severe Kessler Syndrome. the magnitude of this would ground any attempts at launches for several decades at the earliest and even then only high earth and geosynchronous orbits would likely be feasible.