# With No Astra to Release, OpenAI Pivots to New GPT-6.1 Sol Model > Source: > Published: 2026-09-29 20:59:36+00:00 Less than 24 hours after announcing that it won’t release its new model, GPT-6.1 Astra, because it’s too dangerous to make public, OpenAI showed up to its annual DevDay event with a fresh release after all—just an apparently less powerful one. On Tuesday, the company [released GPT-6.1 Sol](https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-1-sol/), an update that promises Astra-level performance at a fraction of the price. If you feel like you’re starting to lose track of OpenAI’s models, you’re forgiven. This summer, when OpenAI first launched GPT-5.6, it split it into three different models: Sol, Terra, and Luna. Practically speaking, its really a branding exercise. Sol is the powerful one, Terra is the mid-tier option, and Luna is the lightweight version. When the company released GPT-6 earlier this month, it [called it Astra](https://openai.com/index/gpt-6-astra-next-generation-work/) and promised that it was its most capable model for intelligence work. Then it released two other versions of GPT-6, [Luna and Sol](https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-sol-and-luna/). Terra is nowhere to be found and Sol is no longer the high-powered model. And now, with the release of GPT-6.1 Sol, it’s supposed to be comparable to Astra in how well it does with coding and intelligence work tasks, but have a significantly lower token cost. Maybe OpenAI could ask ChatGPT how to establish a meaningful brand identity. Anyway, 6.1 Sol surpasses the GPT-6 version of the model in complex tasks like programming, debugging, and executing multi-step business workflows, while also reportedly reducing its error rate from previous versions. It does this while costing just $0.10 per million tokens, according to OpenAI, which it claims is bout half of what GPT-6 Sol costed for the same type of inputs. The company claims Sol approaches GPT-6 Astra performance in some of those areas, but Astra remains the company’s most powerful model to date.  In fact, if you take OpenAI’s word for it, GPT-6.1 Astra is so powerful that it wouldn’t be safe to make it available to the public. The company initially planned to release that model during DevDay, but [announced on Monday that it was shelving it](https://gizmodo.com/openai-cancels-release-of-gpt-6-1-astra-because-it-regressed-on-safety-2000818566) because the team was worried the model had reportedly “regressed” in safety and would do things like perform tasks without human permission. GPT-6.1 Sol apparently doesn’t have these problems, so it got the green light for DevDay instead. Per OpenAI, GPT-6.1 will be available starting Tuesday for all users with a Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Edu subscription to ChatGPT Work and Codex. The model isn’t available yet in Chat, but one would assume that’ll be in the pipeline for the future.