OpenAI launched all three variants of the GPT-5.6 - Sol, Luna and Terra - to a global audience on 9 July 2026. Initially, the models were available only to a limited group of partners because of President Trump’s AI cybersecurity decree, which required 30 days of state verification of powerful models before public release. After further testing by the Center for AI Standards and Innovation at the Department of Commerce and a series of meetings with the company, OpenAI was granted permission to release an expanded version without waiting for the full deadline.

Three model variants are geared to different scenarios: Sol - the most powerful OpenAI model today ($5/$30 per million input/output tokens), Terra - for everyday use with GPT-5.5 performance less expensive ($2.50/$15), and Luna - the most affordable ($1/$6). The company sent technical experts to Washington, D.C., for operational interaction with regulators.

The Anthropic: Mythos and Fable models were temporarily restricted for foreign users, then phased back after export restrictions were lifted.