  We investigate the potential of the upcoming LOBSTER space observatory (due
circa 2009) to detect soft X-ray flashes from shock breakout in supernovae,
primarily from Type II events. LOBSTER should discover many SN breakout
flashes, although the number is sensitive to the uncertain distribution of
extragalactic gas columns. X-ray data will constrain the radii of their
progenitor stars far more tightly than can be accomplished with optical
observations of the SN light curve. We anticipate the appearance of blue
supergiant explosions (SN 1987A analogs), which will uncover a population of
these underluminous events. We consider also how the mass, explosion energy,
and absorbing column can be constrained from X-ray observables alone and with
the assistance of optically-determined distances. These conclusions are drawn
using known scaling relations to extrapolate, from previous numerical
calculations, the LOBSTER response to explosions with a broad range of
parameters. We comment on a small population of flashes with 0.2 < z < 0.8 that
should exist as transient background events in XMM, Chandra, and ROSAT
integrations.
