On July 8, 2026, OpenAI said it would launch its new GPT-5.6 model family — Sol, Terra and Luna — publicly this Thursday, and that it is currently expanding preview access globally.
July 8, 2026 · OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Splits Into a Three-Tier Family: Sol, Terra & Luna
A gated preview begins for ~20 trusted partners ahead of a Thursday public launch. By separating the generation number from tier names, OpenAI lets each tier evolve independently — flagship Sol , balanced Terra , and fast, low-cost Luna .
3
capability tiers under one generation number (5.6)
~20
trusted partners in the initial gated preview via API/Codex
½
Terra's price for GPT-5.5-class capability
Terminal-Bench 2.1
Reported benchmark scores (OpenAI's own figures)
Preview pricing · per 1M tokens
Sol / Ultra
Input $5 · Output $30 = same as GPT-5.5
Terra
Input $2.50 · Output $15
Luna
Input $1 · Output $6
Partner optimism
Hopes for efficiency in agentic coding and long-running tasks; the ultra mode's multi-subagent coordination is seen as genuinely practical.
Skepticism
The government gate blocks immediate use, Thursday may be largely promotional, and benchmarks are OpenAI's own — awaiting independent verification.
Why the gate
A "gated preview" set against a national security review in cybersecurity — framed as temporary, not permanent.
Layered defenses
700,000 A100-equivalent GPU hours of automated red-teaming
Controls
Human review, real-time classifiers, account-level vetting
Ahead
GA incl. ChatGPT "coming weeks"; Sol on Cerebras up to 750 tok/sec
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