Question, why didn't any of the Earth powers go further in trying to reestablish MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) in space beyond merely developing space fleets?
Massed missile sats (500 engine less "fighter") packed with 50-55 Size 1 Box Launchers firing masses of cheap slow AMMs can defeat any beam based defense and likely any reasonable AMM based defense and project firepower across interplanetary distances across the whole of the inner solar system even with the most basic TN tech. An AMM using Nuclear Radioisotope Engines can have a speed of 3kps and a range of 700mkm+ (though admittedly at Tech 2 Warhead Strength and 0.9 Fuel Efficiency), it costs 0.33 BP to build per unit so they can be mass produced relatively easily and would threaten destruction on any inner system target. Or you could just equip them with actual AMMs and now you have both anti missile, anti warship and anti Earth/Luna firepower.
Heck if you really want to be cheeky a few stealthy FACs/Fighers loaded with a 100/50is S1 Box Launchers are basically submarines in space, capable of hiding in some dark corner of the solar system and just cruising in system to turn any Sol based shipyards/mining sites/population centers into debris clouds with swarms of very uninterceptable light munitions.
Seems like a cheap way to generate a lot of menace in system, and if you want to transport them out system a freighter with some commercial hangar decks can slip them out system, or even near their target under normal circumstances!
