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The article could be much clearer about this but no, this isn’t just about the standard solar cycle. The issue is that the sun has been more active in this portion of the solar cycle than predicted, resulting in greater atmospheric mass in LEO than anticipated. Planners knew that the cycle was ramping up, but may have underestimated its intensity.

Check out the NOAA solar cycle data: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/solar-cycle-progression

You are right that operators plan for variations in solar activity. But it remains to be seen how many can cope with a significantly more active cycle than predicted.