No it is basically correct. A 1 MW chemical laser and optical targeting system of that scale was very possible at that time, see

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_YAL-1

and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_High_Energy_Laser

for examples closer to Earth. It is by no means an apocalyptic weapon, but a satellite-to-satellite laser attack could make a detectable space junk mess for decades to come.

That generation of chemical lasers use dangerous chemical reactions, like burning hydrogen in fluorine or mixing different kinds of bleach: operator safety concerns kept them from being fielded.