  Deeper understanding of the properties of dark energy via SNIa surveys, and
to a large extent other methods as well, will require unprecedented photometric
precision. Laboratory and solar photometry and radiometry regularly achieve
precisions on the order of parts in ten thousand, but photometric calibration
for non-solar astronomy presently remains stuck at the percent or greater
level. We discuss our project to erase this discrepancy, and our steps toward
achieving laboratory-level photometric precision for surveys late this decade.
In particular, we show near-field observations of the balloon-borne light
source we are presently testing, in addition to previous work with a calibrated
laser source presently in low-Earth orbit. Our technique is additionally
applicable to microwave astronomy. Observation of gravitational waves in the
polarized CMB will similarly require unprecedented polarimetric and radiometric
precision, and we briefly discuss our plans for a calibrated microwave source
above the atmosphere as well.
