I just went in to cheat mode and entered "sensors" command and I can confirm that it does act as a sensor as well, which is pretty weird as no normal satellite uplink would do that sort of thing.
I know the game is just a game and not a simulation, but in the case of satellite uplink I think having it act as a sensor is perhaps a step too far? Is there some strategic benefit to having it act as a sensor? In the past I've always tucked it away at the back of my base to keep it out of harm's way (except from laser strikes obviously) to ensure good map visibility throughout the game.
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