A group of precision pyrheliometers, designated PVS-7 and PVS-8, for use on the ground, in balloons and in spacecraft, has been constructed and a second-generation solar constant monitor, SCM-2, is under construction. The SCM-2 incorporates a precision solar pointing and tracking system with a pointing accuracy of 0,2°, a value well below the value of 0,5° which is shown to be the limit for precise pyrheliometry. With this type of equipment, high-altitude balloon SC measurements constitute a useful supplement to satellite measurements by providing an absolute link of sufficient accuracy to permit the evaluation of possible SC trends.