Amazon paid $1.8 billion to Blue Origin, the space company owned by founder and board chair Jeff Bezos, last year, nearly triple the amount the previous year. The increase comes as shareholders consider a proposal calling for a mandatory independent board chair, citing Bezos' business interests outside Amazon as potential conflicts of interest. The company, which is expanding its low-Earth orbit satellite constellation, paid approximately $2.2 billion under satellite launch agreements during the past fiscal year. Amazon also announced a $10.8 million deal to acquire Globalstar, a satellite operator that has used SpaceX as its primary launch provider. The proposal by the AFL-CIO Reserve Fund points to Bezos' expanding role outside Amazon, suggesting that his business interests could conflict with Amazon's lead independent director structure.